Catch a rat for $1.50 in Indonesian capital

JAKARTA: The Indonesian capital, Jakarta, one of the world’s most overcrowded and polluted mega cities, has launched a new bid to rid its streets of vermin — by offering residents $1.50 for every rat they catch.

Authorities hope the Rat Eradication Movement will help clean up the city of about 10 million where enormous vermin are a common sight on rubbish-strewn roads and in poor slum areas.

Jakarta’s deputy governor, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, said a recent encounter with a large rat had inspired him to start the programme to eradicate the vermin that spreads disease.